NORTH LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Leaders with a national nonprofit that builds veteran housing complexes across the nation with supportive services say they're determined to bring a development to Southern Nevada.
This comes after the North Las Vegas Planning Commission recommended denying the group's proposal in October, leaving some veterans in the community upset.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation bought a parcel of land near Pecos Road and Centennial Parkway in North Las Vegas intending to build a 112-unit permanent veteran housing complex that would also provide wraparound services like employment assistance and mental health support.
Foundation leaders say they build complexes like these around the nation in areas with high rates of unhoused veterans, with the ultimate goal of eradicating veteran homelessness.
Channel 13 has previously looked into how the VA is looking for ways to help homeless veterans in southern Nevada. You can watch that report here:
However, the parcel of land the foundation had proposed this project for was zoned for commercial use, according to the city's master plan.
When Tunnel to Towers presented its proposal at the Oct. 9 North Las Vegas Planning Commission meeting, officials said there wasn't a lot of commercial land available in that area. They want that parcel to remain that way so it can house amenities to serve the surrounding neighborhoods in the growing community.
Tunnel to Towers decided to pull its proposal after that meeting, saying they expected the city council to reject the proposal with the planning commission's unfavorable recommendation. The group is adamant about bringing this project to Southern Nevada, nonetheless.
"It is disheartening, but we are not deterred. We are going to build something for our veterans in Las Vegas, whether it's Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, we are going to build something. I guarantee it," said Gavin Naples, the vice president of the Homeless Veterans Program at the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
Naples presented the proposal to planning commissioners in October, and said he felt he answered leaders' concerns, and called the commission's decision "unfair."
Meanwhile, local veterans like Vincent Palmieri say the land Tunnel to Towers had purchased for this project makes sense, since it's so close to the VA hospital, and they wish the planning commission would prioritize this project.
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"We complain about Vegas not having enough affordable housing. What about affordable housing for veterans? They deserve it just as much as anybody else," said Palmieri, a Marine Corps veteran and local veterans advocate.
"We don't ask for much. But we shouldn't have to come back from serving our country overseas in a combat zone and fight there and then come back home and fight for the things we were promised to have," Palmieri went on to say.
A city spokesperson told Channel 13, the city proudly supports veterans, pointing to North Las Vegas' Veterans Resource Center and other programs, and that they invite the Tunnel to Towers Foundation to come work with them to find a spot for this project that works within the city's master plan.
Tunnel to Towers has not yet re-filed its proposal in North Las Vegas or brought it forward officially in any other local jurisdictions. In the meantime, local veterans say they'll continue questioning local officials and making their voices heard about why they want this project in North Las Vegas.
